Sony RX10 vs. Panasonic FZ1000: We pit the camera that had no equal against Panasonic’s 4K challenger

Sony won us over with the RX10 in 2013, a camera with a unique mix of features unmatched by competitors: a fast, constant aperture lens with healthy zoom reach paired with a 1-inch sensor. It was an easy decision to award the RX10 our enthusiast zoom of the year in 2013: we had a ton of fun with this camera, and nothing else on the market really proved an adequate competitor. Panasonic changed that when they announced the FZ1000, providing many of the features we loved in the RX10, while adding several others.

The headline feature for the camera is its 4K support, a first for a point-and-shoot camera (or a camera under $1,000). The impressive feature suggested to us that the FZ1000 would be a clear favorite in video, but the actual reality is more nuanced. Panasonic chose to omit some features found in its higher-end GH4 and didn't match other features found in the RX10. And while you get a lot more zoom reach with the FZ1000, you also give up the RX10's constant aperture.